A diagnosis of schizophrenia set me apart from the rest of the world
Schizophrenia awareness week offers an interesting opportunity to reflect on the impact of receiving a diagnosis of schizophrenia.
I was a teenager when I got my diagnosis and as a direct result, my world fell apart. When I reflect back on this now, I realise that the diagnosis did me far more harm than the experience that got me the diagnosis. I had been seeing and hearing things for years and although that experience was extremely distressing from time to time, it was the diagnosis that did the damage.
A diagnosis of schizophrenia set me apart from the rest of the world. The diagnosis lost me jobs and prevented me getting others; it prevented me from getting loans, credit cards and insurance; it made people assume I was incompetent and incapable. Hearing and seeing things is difficult enough; but being branded (and I use the term in the cattle marking sense) a schizophrenic made it impossible.
While it may be lovely to think that there will come a day that the diagnosis itself does not lead to a life of experiencing discrimination; until that day comes, I think we would be better off without the diagnosis of schizophrenia at all.
Recent blogs by David Crepaz-Keay
- Don't call me crazy, call me mad! - 22 July 2013
- The real problem with ‘schizophrenia' - 14 November 2012
- Peer support - a Call to Arms - 25 September 2012
- This year Wales will implement some of the most progressive mental health legislation in Europe - 4 January 2012
- Catherine Zeta Jones and self-management in bipolar disorder - 20 April 2011
About the Author: David Crepaz-Keay
David is Head of Empowerment and Social Inclusion at the Mental Health Foundation. His role involves developing, delivering and evaluating service user involvement, carer involvement, peer support, mental health awareness training, and self-management training.
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